Braddock Inn on the Cardinal

One of the special treats of photographing Amtrak trains is that on occasion there will be a private car on the rear. Such was the case with the westbound Cardinal departing Charlottesville, Virginia, with car Braddock Inn.

The former Pennsylvania Railroad car is owned by the The West Virginia-based Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society and was built in 1949 as a roomette-sleeper. It was assigned to the Indianapolis Limited through the 1950s.

The Pennsy subsequently rebuilt the car into a 64-seat coach that it named Peter Schhoenberger. In 1963, the car was painted into a silver stainless steel livery and renumbered 1509.

The car would later run in commuter service for Penn Central, New Jersey Transit and Maryland Area Regional Commuter service. MARC restored the car in 1964 to first class service, operating it as a café-parlor car on commuter runs between Washington and Martinsburg, West Virginia.

The Huntington Society purchased the car in 2004 for use on its annual New River Train excursions and other trips on Amtrak trains.

It is shown in July 2012 crossing the Norfolk Southern mainline between Washington and Atlanta.